We are often blind to our own environment because of our assumptions, framed by media, insular thinking and our own prejudices. Smart City Consulting's blog – named one of the most intriguing in the U.S. by Pew Partnership for Civic Change – hopes to show how Memphis really is and could be through alternative questions, fresh approaches and new ideas. We hope to open your eyes - and your ears - to a new way of thinking about Memphis. Send ideas and emails to tjones@smartcityconsulting.com.

Friday, September 15, 2006

This Week On Smart City: Design Is Ascendant

Design is ascendant, and today we will celebrate it by talking with Dr. Larry Thompson, president of Ringling School of Art and Design. Larry is staging the Sarasota International Design Summit October 9-11. Prior to coming to Ringling, Larry was the first president and CEO of the Flint Cultural Center located in Flint, Michigan, and served as the director and CEO for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

Also with us is Dilip Soman, marketing professor at the Rotman School of Management in Toronto, who is using his skills to influence better public behavior. A world-renowned researcher in behavioral economics and marketing, Dilip joined Rotman in 2003 after teaching at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Smart City is broadcast on WKNO FM, 91.1, at 9 a.m. Sundays. It is also webcast and podcast at the Smart City website. Listen live on the Web Saturdays at 8 a.m central and Sundays at 9 a.m. and noon central.